Automatic tray release actuating mechanism for bale stookers

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to an automatic mechanism for tripping the release lever of a bale stooker so as to drop the balereceiving tray down into its bale-unloading position. The release mechanism includes an arm located in the path of the incoming bales that is raised as each passes therebeneath and functions through a dog-carrying arm pivotally attached thereto to rotate a wheel into position where a trigger turning with the latter trips the bale tray release lever into its discharge position.

1 1 mamas United States Patent [72] Inventor Roy 0. Miller P.O. Box 423,Benkelman, Nebr. 69021 [21 1 Appl. No. 824,484 [22] Filed May 14, 1969[45] Patented June 29, 1971 [54] AUTOMATIC TRAY RELEASE ACTUATINGMECHANISM FOR BALE STOOKERS 9 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

[52] [1.8. CI. 2114/15 [51] Int. Cl B65g 57/32 [50] Field oiSearch 214/6B,6

H, 6 P, 6 K; 56/4735 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS3,111,233 11/1963 Raynor 214/6(P) 3,158,270 11/1964 Prentice 214/6(B)3,223,253 12/1965 Garbe et a1. 214/6 (B) 3,246,774 4/1966 Bishop 214/6(B) 3,260,380 7/1966 Skromme et a1 214/6 (B) 3,370,719 2/1968 Oler2l4/6(B) 3,375,940 4/1968 Thompson et al. 214/6 (B) 3,446,369 5/1969 Mayet al. 214/6 (B) Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-Robert .I. Spar AlrorneyAnderson, Spangler & Wymore ABSTRACT: Thisinvention relates mechanism for tripping the release lever of a balestooker so as to drop the bale-receiving tray down into itsbale-unloading position. The release mechanism includes an arm locatedin the path of the incoming bales that is raised as each passestherebeneath and functions through a dog-carrying arm pivotally attachedthereto to rotate a wheel into position where a trigger turning with thelatter trips the bale tray release lever into its discharge position.

to an automatic- PATENTEDJUNESIBYI 35 9533 sum 1 OF 3 INVENTOR 34 ROY O.MILLER BY PATENTED JUN29 I971 SHEET 2 [IF 3 INVENTOR ROY O. M I LLE RAUTOMATIC TRAY RELEASE ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR BALE STOOKEIRS In U.S.Letters Pat. No. 3,158,270 issued Nov. 24, I964, and entitled, STOOKERFOR TRAVELING BALER," the inventor, Wilfred Prentice, discloses a uniqueand welldesigned stooker for use with a tractor-drawn or self-propelledtraveling baler as a means for receiving the bales discharged therefromand arranging same in a pyramidal stack preparatory to setting same downin the field to cure. One by one, the bales from the baler, six in all,travel up an inclined ramp and pass over the end thereof where they dropdown upon and are cradled between a pair of pivoted gates having armsextending therebeneath. As the bale following immediately therebehindstrikes the bale thus cradled, it moves the latter forward against atrip lever which, upon actuation, releases the gates so that they arefree to move apartThe weight of the bale supported between these gatesswings them downwardly and outwardly trapdoor fashion and allows thebale to drop L therebetween onto a traylike carrier that has 45deflector plates which cause it to rest on an edge rather than one ofits flat faces. As each bale passes between the gates, counterweightsreturn them to bale-receiving position and relatch the i trip lever.Each bale, in turn, drops onto the tray and assumes itsproper positionin the pyramidal stack by tumbling to one side or the other off of thosealready there. The sixth bale forms the apex of the pyramidal stack,which, therefore, can't accept any more and must be discharged.

The traylike carrier is pivotally attached to the main stooker framewell forward of the stack so that the weight of the latter tends to tiltthe tray downwardly under its rear and drags on the ground. Atoggle-type tray release lever, however, normally holds the tray insubstantially horizontal position and a "spring braces it onto this sameposition whenever the load is removed therefrom. A similar spring resetsthe toggle latch of the tray release lever once the load has beendischarged.

The aforementioned patent contemplates manual actuation of the trayrelease lever by means of lanyard extending forwardly to the operatorwhich he pulls upon as soon as the sixth bale is positioned atop thestack being formed on the carrier. Since the bales must, of necessity,always run ahead of the stooker and be attended by the operator, he mustturn around in order to discharge the stack at the proper instant. Insome instances, this may involve directing the attention rearwardly fora substantial interval while the stacking cycle is being completed.Obviously, if the operator is also responsible for driving the tractorand overseeing operation of the baler, he has little time left to belooking back to see when to trip the stooker tray.

The present invention comprises an improvement to the above-describedpatented mechanism by means of which the entire stack-dischargingoperation is taken care of automatically and at the precise instant whenthe sixth bale drops onto the top of the stack thus relieving theoperator of this duty so that his attention can be directed elsewhere.The improve- -ment involves only modest additions to the existingstooker and they do not interfere with the normal operation thereof inany way except for automating the stack-discharge step. The increasedsafety attendant to eliminating the need for the operator to turn aroundand observe the stacking cycle so that he can focus his attention aheadof him where it should be is, perhaps, most important ofall.

Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention toprovide a novel actuating mechanism for automatically discharging thestack from a bale stooker of the general type forming the subject matterof U.S. Pat. No. 3,158,270.

A second objective is the provision of a device of the typeaforementioned which automatically counts the bales and ac' tuatcs thetray release trip lever as the sixth bale passes therebeneath.

Another object of the invention herein disclosed and claimed is toprovide a release mechanism that can be added to existing bale stookerswithout making any material alterations therein.

Still another objective is to provide a stack release for a bale stookerthat operates independent of the size, weight or composition of thebale.

An additional object is to equip a bale stooker with an automaticstack-discharging mechanism that frees the operator to perform otherduties such as driving the tractor and attending the baler.

Further objects of the invention forming the subject matter hereof areto provide an attachment for bale stookers that is easy to install,rugged, versatile, inexpensive, simple to repair, compact, and one thatdoes not interferqwith normal operation ofthe stooker.

Other objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed outspecifically hereinafter in connection with the description thatfollows, and in which: 4

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view showing the manner in which thebale-sensing arm is pivotally mounted at the discharge end of the rampon an overhead auxiliary frame attached to the main stooker frame;

FIG.. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the stooker fully loadedwith a six bale stack preparatory to receiving the seventh bale thatwill rotate the trigger into position to actuate the tray release lever;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation like FIG. 2 except that theseventh bale is shown passing beneath the bale-sensing arm and thetrigger has tripped the tray-release lever;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail showing the ele ments of thetripping mechanism, a portion of the link having been broken away toreveal the ratchet pawl along with a similar portion of the arm carryingthe stop dog that prevents reverse rotation of the ratchet wheel; and,

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary front elevation showing the ramp, baledeflector, auxiliary frame, bale-sensing arm, link, and triggermechanism.

Referring next to the drawings for a detailed description of the presentinvention and, initially, to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, thestooker which has been broadly designated by reference numeral 10includes a main frame 12 adapted to be drawn along the ground on casterwheels 14 mounted for swiveling movement on the rear outboard corners.This frame supports an upwardly and rearwardly inclined ramp l6-bordered by siderails 18 that confine the bales 20 therebetween and keepit on the ramp. As clearly explained in U.S. Pat. No. 3,158,270, thestooker is used in association with a traveling baler (not shown) andthe bales discharged from its bale chamber are delivered to the bottomof the stooker ramp l6 and pushed one after the other up and over thedischarge end thereof.

The main frame 12 has uprights 22 located at the rear end of the rampthat include rearwardly extending arms 24 that support the bale-cradlingshoes 26 and 28 that, will be described in detail presently along withthe bale-release trigger mechanism 30. Thebale 20 moving off thedischarge end of the ramp 16 as shown in FIG. 2 drops on to the shoes 26and 28 as clearly revealed in FIG. 3. These shoes are pivotally mountedbeneath'the rearwardly extending arms 24 of the uprights and each has alaterally-offset portion 32 that extends beneath the bale in supportingrelation thereto. These shoes are operatively associated with thebale-release trigger mechanism 30 so that they spread apart and drop thebale onto the bale tray 34 or other bales previously stacked thereonwhen the cradled bale is pushed against the trigger 36 as clearlyexplained in the aforementioned patent. Since this bale releasemechanism is constructed and operates exactly as set forth therein andforms no part of the instant invention, no useful purpose would beserved by redescribing it in detail. It should suffice to point out thatthe bales drop down one at a time onto the tray 34 where they aresupported on edge in V- shaped troughs (not shown) that hold three onthe bottom row, two in the middle row within the V-shaped groovesdefined by the bottom three, and one on the top in the single V-shapedgroove between the middle two so as to make a six bale pyramidal stack.

Tray 34 is hingedly attached at its forward end to the main stookerframe 12 between the caster wheels 14. Tension springs 36 connected tothe tray behind its front pivoted end and the uprights 22 of the mainframe are sufficiently strong to raise it up off the ground onto thefull line latched position of FIGS. 2 and 3 when it is carrying no load;however, the weight of one or more bales up to a full six bale stackthereof is such as to overcome the spring bias exerted thereby andpermit the tray to drop down into the broken-line stack dischargeposition of FIG. 3 whenever unlatched. Another tension spring 38relatches the latch mechanism which has been indicated in a general wayby numeral 40 whenever the load is discharged onto the ground off therear end of the tray.

Now, while this tray release latch mechanism 40 is, once again, fullydescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,158,270, a brief description thereof willprove helpful in understanding how the automatic actuating mechanism ofthe instant invention operates thereon. Extending forwardly from tray 34to a position well ahead of its pivot is an arm 42. A tray release lever44 is pivotally attached to the main stooker frame 12 with its lowerextremity projecting therebeneath where it is pivotally connected to arm42 by toggle-type link 46. Spring 38, previously mentioned, is connectedbetween upright 22 of the main frame 12 and release lever 44 above itspivot. The normal or latched" position of the tray-release subassembly40 is that shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 where the middle pivot point 48 isslightly overcenter or ahead of the straight line defined by pivotpoints 50 and 52. A stop such as that shown at 54 on the rear edge ofthe toggle link engages the back edge of the release lever and preventsthe toggle connection from collapsing forwardly.

In the original stooker design shown in the patent already mentioned,the tray-release latch mechanism was actuated manually by the operatorwho sat ahead of the stooker and pulled upon a lanyard (not shown)connected to the upper end of the release lever so as to pull itforwardly into the broken line position of FIG. 3. Actually, as soon asthe center pivot 48 moved rearwardly back across center (full lines inFIG. 3) the toggle link collapsed and the rear end of the tray droppeddown thus depositing the stack on the ground. Once the load was off thetray, spring 36 raised it back up into its full-line load-receivingposition where the other spring 38 has returned the release lever to thefull line position of FIGS. 2 and 4 resetting the toggle and latchingthe tray up.

Up to this point, the entire mechanism described is essentially thatfound in the aforementioned U.S. prior art patent. The present inventiondoes not alter this operation, but instead, provides an automaticbale-actuated mechanism for tripping release lever 44 in place of thelanyard used before. An auxiliary frame consisting of a pair of uprights56 is fastened to the siderails 18 near the discharge end of the rampand interconnected across the top by a horizontal rod 58, thatcooperates with said uprights to define an arch over the top of thebales.

The automatic actuating mechanism has been indicated in a general way byreference numeral 60 and the bale-sensing portion 62 thereof ispivotally suspended from rod 58 while the trigger-carrying ratchet wheel64 is mounted for rotation on a subframe consisting of an upright member66 paralleling upright 22 and a pair of crossbraces 68. The bale-sensingportion 62 comprises, in the particular form shown, a generally Y-shaped yoke 70, the divergent upper end portions of which are pivotallymounted on rod 58 while a wheel 72 is journaled for rotation between theparallel legs of its stem portion. As illustrated, the wheel 72 and itspivoted supporting structure are displaced to one side of the centerlineof the ramp while a deflector 74 depending from the opposite siderail 18of the main stooker frame 12 near the discharge end thereof diverts thebales so as to insure their passing beneath the bale-sensing mechanism.

Extending out laterally from the wheel-carrying yoke 70 is an L-shapedbracket 76, the right angle leg 78 of which lies in the same plane asone of the uprights S6 of the auxiliary frame.

An adjustable stop 80 is carried by upright 56 of the auxiliary frameand the right-angle leg 78 of the L-shaped bracket impinges thereagainstto limit the distance the bale-sensing mechanism can swing down underrod 58 to approximately shown by broken lines in FIG. 3. This brokenline position is the bale-receiving position and is directly in the pathof a bale leaving the discharge end of the ramp and entering thebalecarrying cradle. The wheel 72 rides up over the front end of thebale and, in so doing, raises ratchet wheel actuating arm 82 which ispivotally connected to the free end of the right angle leg 78 ofL-shaped bracket 76.

Next, referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, it will be seen that arm 82 has spacedparallel elements defining a channel within which is pivotally mounted aratchet pawl 84 and a pin stop 86 for the latter. The forward edge ofthe ratchet wheel 64 extends well into the aforementioned channel inposition such that the curved vane-like teeth 88 thereof are engaged bythe pawl 84 moving against the underside thereof as the arm 82 raises inresponse to the bale-sensing mechanism 62 riding up over the end of abale. As each tooth, in turn, is engaged and lifted by the pawl, theratchet wheel is rotated approximately one-sixth revolution or about 30.While lifting the tooth, the pawl 84 is resting atop its pin stop 86;however, as the arm 82 completes its cycle and drops back down to thebroken line position of FIG. 3 (full lines in FIGS. 1 and 2) followingremoval ofa bale from the cradle, the pawl is lifted as it passes downover the following tooth 88 before dropping into position therebehindpreparatory to lifting it as the next bale moves into the cradle.

The ratchet wheel is mounted on a shaft 90 that is, in turn, journaledfor rotation with a suitable bearing (not shown) carried by upright 66of the subframe. Also mounted on shaft 90 for rotation therewith is thetrigger subassembly comprising a sleeve 92 having a rod 94 projectingradially therefrom that carries a clevis 96 on its outer free endjournaling a roller 98. As the ratchet wheel rotates, roller 98 of thetrigger subassembly strikes kicker-plate 100 carried on the upper end ofthe release lever and moves it forward from the latched" position ofFIG. 2 to the released" position shown in full lines in FIG. 3 wherepivot point 48 has just barely moved rearwardly over center allowing thetoggle connection to collapse" into the broken line position of FIG. 3under the weight of the stack on the platform or tray 34. The triggermechanism, of course, acts in opposition to the bias exerted on therelease lever by spring 38 and is easily sufficient to overcome same.Actually, the trigger mechanism need only move the release lever about ahalf inch in order to trip the toggle connection.

On the opposite side of the ratchet wheel 64 from where pawl 84 engagessame, an antireversing mechanism is provided to keep the wheel fromturning backward or counterclockwise as viewed in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. Thisantireverse mechanism comprises an arm 102 pivotally attached to theuppercross member 68 of the subframe in the particular form shown thatcarries a stop pin 104 which moves to position atop each tooth 88 as thewheel rotates by reason of the bias exerted upon said arm by tensionspring 106. The curvature of the teeth 88 is such as to cam" pin 104 outof the way and swing arm 102 to the right or clockwise in FIGS. 2, 3 and4 as it moves therepast. As soon as pin 104 passes over the end of thetooth, of course, spring 106 pulls the arm back to the left and locksthe pin in on top thereof thus preventing counterclockwise rotation ofthe wheel.

About the only remaining feature that requires specific mention is anL-shaped stop 108 carried by the frame that keeps arm 82 in positionsuch that its pawl 84 cannot miss engaging a tooth 88. While arm 82 willnormally swing down so as to leave pawl 84 resting against the ratchetwheel as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, it is possible for the arm to swingaway from the wheel when bouncing over rough terrain. If this shouldoccur when the pawl is moving up to engage a tooth of the ratchet wheel,it might pass in front thereof and fail to turn the wheel the requiredone-sixth revolution. Accordingly, stop 108 holds arm 82 sufficientlyclose to the ratchet wheel that pawl 84 cannot miss engaging a tooth.

Finally, turning our attention, once again, to FIGS. 2 and 3, it will beseen that it is the first bale of the next stack that unloads thecompleted six bale stack resting atop the platform. In FIG. 2, as thebale moving over the discharge end of the ramp into the cradle strikesthe bale-sensing mechanism 62, it triggers the release mechanism andmoves the trigger slightly past the full line position of FIG. 3. This,of course, discharges the stack onto the ground. The triggering bale isnow in the cradle and will drop down onto the relatched platform as thefirst bale of the next stack as soon as it trips the bale-releasemechanism 36. With one bale already in place, five more actuations ofthe ratchet wheel will complete the stack and put the trigger 98 in theposition shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 ready to, once again, actuate therelease lever.

I claim:

1. ln a bale stooker of the type having a wheel-supported frame, aplatfonn hingedly attached to the frame for movement between abale-stacking position and a stack-discharging position, openablebale-receiving jaws located above the platform adapted upon actuation todrop bales supported therebetween one-at-a-time into a stook,jaw-actuating means adjacent the rearward ends of said jaws andresponsive to the movement of a bale into said jaws operative to openthe latter, an inclined ramp positioned and adapted to receive acontinuous succession of externally pushed bales in end-to-end abuttingrelation and discharge same one-at-a-time onto said jaws, platform latchmeans connected to the platform adapted to maintain same inbale-receiving position until actuated, platform latch release meansincluding a release lever connected to the platform latch meansoperative upon actuation to actuate the latter and release the platforminto stackdischarging position, and platform latch reset means connectedto the platform operative when the latter is unloaded to return same toits bale-stacking position and to relatch the platform latching means,the improved means for automatically actuating the release lever of theplatform latch release means which comprises: bale-sensing means locatedabove and adjacent the forward ends of the bale-receiving jaws in thepath of a bale moving into position thereon; rotating trigger meansjournaled for rotation adjacent the release lever of the platform latchrelease means operative to actuate same once during each completerevolution thereof; said bale-sensing means being displaced laterallytoward one side of the balereceiving jaws, deflector means positioned onthe opposite side of the ramp adapted to deflect a bale ascending thelatter toward said laterally offset bale-sensing means; and, link meansinterconnecting the bale-sensing means and the rotating trigger means,said link means being operative upon each response of the bale-sensingmeans to a bale impinging thereagainst to turn said trigger meansthrough an arc of approximately 360/n degrees where n is the number ofbales in a complete stook thereof on the platform, said link means beingoperative upon movement of n" bales past the balesensing means to rotatesaid trigger through one complete revolution, and said link means andbale-sensing means cooperating with one another and with thejaw-actuating means upon actuation of the latter by a bale to index saidtrigger means l/nth revolution in response to the discharge of said samebale onto the platform.

2. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 in which: the rotatingtrigger means comprises ratchet wheel means having n" teeth rotatable ina plane lying in spaced substantially parallel relation alongside therelease lever, and a trigger arm mounted for rotational movement withsaid ratchet wheel means through a circular arc coplanar with the planein which said release lever moves; and, means comprising a ratchet pawlis carried by the link means in position to engage the ratchet wheelmeans, said pawl being operative to engage successive teeth of saidratchet wheel means and turn same in one direction through l/nthrevolution during each actuation of the bale-sensing means.

'3. The improvement as set forth in claim l in which: the

bale-sensing means comprises an arm pivotally attached for hingedmovement about a transverse axis above the discharge end of the rampthrough an arc extending in the direction of bale movement up thelatter.

4. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 in which: stop means arelocated in engagement with the rotating trigger means operative toprevent reverse rotation thereof.

5. The improvement as set forth in claim 2 in which: stop means arelocated to engage the link means and prevent the ratchet pawl carriedthereby from missing the teeth of the ratchet wheel means.

6. The improvement as set forth in claim 2 in which: stop means arelocated to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel means and preventreverse rotation thereof while the ratchet pawl is disengaged therefrom.

7. The improvement as set forth in claim 3 in which: a wheel isjournaled for rotation on the free end of the hinged arm about an axislying in spaced substantially parallel relation beneath the axis ofpivotal movement thereof.

8. The improvement as set forth in claim 3 in which: stop means arelocated to contact the hinged arm and limit the travel thereof in thedirection opposite that in which the bales are moving up the ramp.

9. The improvement as set forth in claim 6 in which: the stop meanscomprises a pivoted lever carrying a tooth-engaging stop spring-biasedinto engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel means. 3

1. In a bale stooker of the type having a wheel-supported frame, aplatform hingedly attached to the frame for movement between abale-stacking position and a stack-discharging position, openablebale-receiving jaws located above the platform adapted upon actuation todrop bales supported therebetween one-at-a-time into a stook,jaw-actuating means adjacent the rearward ends of said jaws andresponsive to the movement of a bale into said jaws operative to openthe latter, an inclined ramp positioned and adapted to receive acontinuous succession of externally pushed bales in end-to-end abuttingrelation and discharge same one-ata-time onto said jaws, platform latchmeans connected to the platform adapted to maintain same inbale-receiving position until actuated, platform latch release meansincluding a release lever connected to the platform latch meansoperative upon actuation tO actuate the latter and release the platforminto stack-discharging position, and platform latch reset meansconnected to the platform operative when the latter is unloaded toreturn same to its bale-stacking position and to relatch the platformlatching means, the improved means for automatically actuating therelease lever of the platform latch release means which comprises:bale-sensing means located above and adjacent the forward ends of thebale-receiving jaws in the path of a bale moving into position thereon;rotating trigger means journaled for rotation adjacent the release leverof the platform latch release means operative to actuate same onceduring each complete revolution thereof; said bale-sensing means beingdisplaced laterally toward one side of the bale-receiving jaws,deflector means positioned on the opposite side of the ramp adapted todeflect a bale ascending the latter toward said laterally offsetbale-sensing means; and, link means interconnecting the balesensingmeans and the rotating trigger means, said link means being operativeupon each response of the bale-sensing means to a bale impingingthereagainst to turn said trigger means through an arc of approximately360/n degrees where ''''n'''' is the number of bales in a complete stookthereof on the platform, said link means being operative upon movementof ''''n'''' bales past the balesensing means to rotate said triggerthrough one complete revolution, and said link means and bale-sensingmeans cooperating with one another and with the jaw-actuating means uponactuation of the latter by a bale to index said trigger means 1/nthrevolution in response to the discharge of said same bale onto theplatform.
 2. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 in which: therotating trigger means comprises ratchet wheel means having ''''n''''teeth rotatable in a plane lying in spaced substantially parallelrelation alongside the release lever, and a trigger arm mounted forrotational movement with said ratchet wheel means through a circular arccoplanar with the plane in which said release lever moves; and, meanscomprising a ratchet pawl is carried by the link means in position toengage the ratchet wheel means, said pawl being operative to engagesuccessive teeth of said ratchet wheel means and turn same in onedirection through 1/nth revolution during each actuation of thebale-sensing means.
 3. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 in which:the bale-sensing means comprises an arm pivotally attached for hingedmovement about a transverse axis above the discharge end of the rampthrough an arc extending in the direction of bale movement up thelatter.
 4. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 in which: stop meansare located in engagement with the rotating trigger means operative toprevent reverse rotation thereof.
 5. The improvement as set forth inclaim 2 in which: stop means are located to engage the link means andprevent the ratchet pawl carried thereby from missing the teeth of theratchet wheel means.
 6. The improvement as set forth in claim 2 inwhich: stop means are located to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheelmeans and prevent reverse rotation thereof while the ratchet pawl isdisengaged therefrom.
 7. The improvement as set forth in claim 3 inwhich: a wheel is journaled for rotation on the free end of the hingedarm about an axis lying in spaced substantially parallel relationbeneath the axis of pivotal movement thereof.
 8. The improvement as setforth in claim 3 in which: stop means are located to contact the hingedarm and limit the travel thereof in the direction opposite that in whichthe bales are moving up the ramp.
 9. The improvement as set forth inclaim 6 in which: the stop means comprises a pivoted lever carrying atooth-engaging stop spring-biased into engagement with the teeth of theratchet wheel means.